Related "Belvidere" Families

Catherine Murrin, our great grandmother on the Ryan side of my family, shows a connection with the Timoney and McCloskey families. While we have done some initial research on these families in Illinois, we have not found any conclusive link to the family lines around Belvidere and Rock Island, Illinois.

We do know a few things based on oral history. We know that they moved from the east coast into Indiana and Ohio before settling in Illinois. We also know, based on our oral history, that they left Ohio and Indiana because of the disturbances created by the Ku Klux Klan who wanted Irish Catholics to leave these regions. We also know, based on our previous research, that families moved in groups from place to place. Initially we thought that they moved independently, something that fed into the myth of our ancestors being sturdy pioneers. But we know now that families moved in packs, and is the reason that these news articles (below) were collected.

Timoney

In my personal DNA results, few families connect that have the Timoney surname in their family trees; however, there are two of interest. One connection is to James Timony from Meenagolan, Donegal, Ireland, born in 1906. It appears that he eventually emigrated to the United States and died in 1975 in New York City. The second connection is with a Nancy Timoney, born 1815 in Pennsylvania (at least the family tree suggests that this is where she was born - if true, it would suggest our family was in the United States much earlier than our current tree suggests). She married a Polish immigrant, Jacob Konkoskia, and lived in Athens, Ohio. In our family history, it was noted that our "early" family lived in Ohio and Indiana before settling around Belvidere, Illinois.

The following articles are related to the Timoneys, and may be "relatives". The Timoneys lived in Crawford County, Ohio, prior to moving to Marengo, Illinois. Marengo is a few miles from Belvidere, and interestingly we find McGonigle and Murrin families also living around this rural community.

Philadelphia Enquirer, 1890

Margengo Republican News, 1909

Marengo Republican News, 1909

Margengo Republican News, July 1909

Belvidere Illinois, 1919

Margengo Daily News, Feb 6, 1914

Decatur Ill newspaper, 4 March 1916

January 1920, Belvidere newspaper (UNK)

July 16, 1909, Belvidere

May 18, 1906

McCloskey

The following "McCloskey surnames appear in my personal DNA list. While these names may not be direct ancestors to our own, they do share a direct genetic connection with us. One of the "common denominators" with both the McCloskey and Timoney familes is that they spent some time in Pennsylvania, with some of these families permanently residing in the Keystone state. This leads me, personally, to conclude that the Timoney families may have also been a point or origin before settling in Ohio and Illinois.

>Margaret Mae (Jame) mcCloskey, May 1862, married George Washington Murphy and died in 1924 in Upland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, USA. Her father was Thomas McCloskey, born unknown however, the family tree shows that Margaret was born in Ireland.

>Susan McCloskey, born 1727 in Donegal, Ireland. Died 21 Aug 1797 in Laurens, South Carolina, USA. Married Robert Mann, b 1716 in Ireland.

>Margaret McCloskey, born Blue Mounds, Dane, WI in 1863 to John McCloskey and Margaret Ryan. While we relate with Margaret, it is hard to say whether we connect via the Murrin family or the Ryan family. As McClusky appears on our Smith side of the family, it may be the connection is here as well.

>Susan McCloskey, born Ireland between 1720 and 1740. . Married James William, born Meehan Inver Parish, Donegal Co., Ireland. Some of children born in Inver Parish, but death for Susan and James is listed as "Pennsylvania". Our connection can also be to Jane McGonagle, Apr 1824 in Carricknamoghil, Killybegs, Ireland. She married William Brannigan and died in 3 Aug 1907 in Evanston, Cook, Illinois, USA. Susan McCloskey appears at least twice in my DNA connection (b 1730, died 1797).

>Frances McCloskey, birth abt 1848 in Ireland, and died 1920 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.

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Not in my DNA results (this family may not have done a DNA analysis yet), but shows a Timoney and McCloskey connection in a family tree: John Timoney was born in Ireland, died in 1870. He is buried in Grant Indiana and buried in Grant County (Marion), Indiana. His wife is listed below:

My Family
Public Member Tree
5 attached records, 5 sources

Ann McCloskey
Birth:  1805
Death:  1862 - Ohio
Spouse:  John Timony

	Chicago Daily Tribune, 1929
	Rock Island Argus, 1914
	Rock Island Argus, 1914
	March 3, 1907. Unknown Illinois newspaper.
	Rock Island Argus and Daily Union, 1909
	Rock Island newspaper, October 1901
	The Telegraph, Harrisburg, PA, 1886
	Lebannon Daily News, western New York, 1877
	Democrat and Sentinel, Ebensberg PA (Cambria county), 1857
	Democrat and Sentinel, 1859
	Democrat Sentinel, November 1856